Equal to a King
by Rowana1
Summary: Basically a poem about Will Scarlet. I wrote this before reaching season two, so some things will be a little bit vague, but it plays off of every majour event of his life that I could think of. Rated for mentions of death and that kind of thing.


~Equal to a King~

There's too much to take away,  
Already gone, can't give them any more.  
But that won't stop them, will it?  
It won't ever and it's never done before.  
You thought that you were good enough,  
That everything would be alright.  
But the voice that whispers comfortHas gone away, lost in death tonight.  
It's never been your fault; you never knew a thing.  
But as rain washes 'gainst the grave  
You cannot help but blame,  
Head bowed in quiet shame,  
Tears leading where she lay,  
That you must be more, somehow;  
There's someone you can save.

And the shadows turn to scarlet  
In the first rays from the sun to dusk.  
The emerald green will whisk away  
All reflection, everything you've lost.  
You play a deadly game, you know,  
Between what's right and wrong and where you'll go,  
Where you've been and what you'll be;  
The scarlet light inside your eyes  
Washes, burns, and blinds  
From everything you can and won't, will never, ever see.  
And the trees become your fortress,  
The scarlet shafts that filter down  
Are your great hall and welcome grand,  
The shadows in between; your crown.  
For here amongst the wooden guards,  
Whatever fate may bring,  
Here, you are equal to a king.

You must protect what still belongs,  
What slips away, what cannot stay,  
What won't remain, what's wholly drained.  
And so you stalk in silence through the trees that you call home.  
Led by a friend or mirror you commit and then you're done.  
You watch one fall and feel a touch  
Of pride or fear or nothing much.  
But now you're caught and can't go back,  
Can't run away, fend off attack.  
And again there's pain on your behalf,  
You didn't mean them harm and yet it's still come true.  
How many more, how many more,  
How many more will suffer so  
For the likes of you?

And the shadows turn to scarlet  
In the first rays from the sun to dusk.  
The emerald green will flicker grey  
And recount the days before your trust.  
You play a tricky game, you know,  
Between what's pure and sin and what you show,  
What you keep and what you hide.  
The scarlet light behind your eyes  
Brands and burns a fire, shy,  
For all you've lost and all you've gained, all the tears you've cried.  
And the work becomes your fortress,  
The scarlet light that washes 'round  
Is the palace you imagine, grand.  
The shadows of the brand, your crown.  
For here amongst wooden knights,  
Whatever fate may bring,  
Here, you are equal to a king.

There's a stranger here now, back from war.  
But not a stranger, you've seen them both before.  
One you know, and one you've met,  
Still neither one can help you yet.  
You're alone as ever lonely, lost unto yourself,  
Only smaller pictures to guide you on your way.  
And the reflection's why you go on,  
Why you drag yourself into another forlorn, darkened day.  
There's something else that you don't know,  
And once more you're caught inside your game.  
And yet your shadow's trapped as well;  
Once more you're locked inside your blame.

And the shadows turn to scarlet  
In the bloody sunset shining through the rust.  
The emerald green will flash to black  
And hide your fear within your lust.  
You play a wicked game, you know,  
Between what's worth it, not, and just beyond your reach,  
What you know and what you feel.  
The scarlet light before your eyes  
Dances, fades, and sometimes flies  
For all the blame and hate and shame  
For the blood that's dripping from your name.  
And the cell becomes your fortress,  
The scarlet light that washes through and down  
Is the hall of lonely, weary squires,  
The shadows of the bars; your crown.  
For here among both kin and new,  
Whatever fate may bring,  
Here, you are equal to a king.

You march in deadly time up to the final stage,  
Followed by a ghost of one you swore you would protect.  
Led by a man you barely know, brother even so.  
And all around you are drowned within the watchers' rage.  
The grip draws tight, you walk on air,  
Can't breathe for long to evils' glee.  
But something's wrong in den and lair.  
There's a hiss and snap and then you're free.  
But now you're saddled with a debt you can't escape,  
A burning need to right the wrongs,  
It's one you'll never shake.

And the shadows turn to scarlet  
As the sunset filters through the trees and rush.  
The emerald green will spark to vivid bright  
And hide concern in greater blood.  
You play a dangerous game, you know,  
Between fear and love and hate that's more than you believe,  
What you want, and what you need.  
The scarlet light that's in your eyes  
Spins and swirls and chaffs and binds  
In loyal ties not once undone,  
But shaken as the storm will come.  
And the cloak becomes your fortress,  
The scarlet light of longing found  
Is the tribe of silent ghosts,  
The shadows in their eyes; your crown.  
For here among the crusades' mark,  
Whatever fate may bring,  
Here you are equal to a king.

You used to worship, dub as pure,  
The leader for whom there's no cure.  
Now you see what you've become  
But can't go back; you're in too far.  
There is no choice but to succumb  
And drink in the fate that hugs your heart.  
Maybe it's a bad thing that you love so and adore,  
Perhaps better that you knew him once and on again before.  
It might be sad that now you know how taunted he might be,  
But it might be glad that loyalty is something you can't see.  
It's acted out and then replayed  
As each wrong for right and crime repaid,  
Returned and sent and passed onto  
This treasons' test that calls to you.  
But soon you see there is a price  
For wind and storm and stones and ice.  
Adrift, awake, you watch and calm  
As one man you knew takes a fall.  
You prove again what you can't help,  
But bless in death what you know well.

And the shadows turn to scarlet  
In the secret days of grief.  
The emerald green will dance to lighter blue  
And avenge not act, but thought of night-held thief.  
You play a killing game, you know,  
Between yourself, your friend, and all your bitter foes,  
Who you trust, and who you don't, what you'll do and what you won't.  
The scarlet light that's in your eyes  
Rages, kills, and even lies,  
All for the truth that you can't hide  
In gentle masks to cover loss,  
And fear that pounds; you've seen the cost.  
And the task becomes your fortress,  
The scarlet flood that's flowing down  
Is your penence to the one whose breath is gone,  
The shadows of the blade, your crown.  
For here where bears the softer sound,  
Whatever fate may bring,  
Here you are equal to a king.

Ah, here's a thing you'd recognize;  
The bars of poison would disguise  
That, although solid, more in mind,  
Is where the key to silence lies.  
You see it done, remember yours, can't help but sympathize.  
But pity never helped a soul, something you'll realize.  
You stand a solemn watch but care to cast your gaze  
And meet the fiery eyes that set your soul ablaze.  
How dare another from a foreign, deadly land,  
Aquire nerve and skill to cross you where you stand?  
But common ground does more than still,  
It also joins, devides, and steals.  
Perhaps there's more than passes veils?  
The spiraling iris might well hide what lies beneath,  
And cover swiftly that which enters ever through the dark,  
Since through form alone true self is more than one can see,  
There might be more to that which stirs your heart.

And the shadows turn to scarlet  
In the wonder shining through the past.  
The emerald green will change to ponderous youth.  
Curious, this feeling, new. But how long can it last?  
You play a guessing game, you know,  
Between all that you've forgotten, what you still recall,  
And the willingness to rise when you will fall.  
The scarlet light fades from your eyes,  
Replaced with softer, warmer dyes,  
As something makes you feel much more alive.  
And you can't give name to emotion,  
Suddenly you're but a raindrop in the ocean.  
And confusion is your fortress,  
The scarlet hiding wisdom more profound  
Is the hidden room that holds the answer,  
The shadows of the lock, your crown.  
For here amongst the untold truths,  
Whatever fate may bring,  
Here, you are equal to a king.

On orders travel through the trees,  
Little thought to what might be,  
Round a corner and, stunned, fall still,  
Nonsense rising as you take in what you see.  
Not a spy, but just as like,  
And as wrathful for the prompted strike,  
Rushing past from where you'll look,  
It seems correct, the lie they took.  
But now you're lost and more cunfused,  
What to do now, your mind abused,  
Swirling thoughts come as you muse,  
But knowledge lights the dwindling fuse.  
At least you know what causes your  
Feelings, real things, unnamed but felt before.  
True, it would be better to find out through different means,  
Still the same, though, the same wisdom has been gleaned.

And the shadows turn to scarlet  
In the shock and sting that overcomes.  
The emerald green will meld to stony grey  
Chasing demons away as all else comes undone.  
You'll play a different game, you know,  
Between where you are and might yet go,  
Since it's changed from where the wind would blow.  
The scarlet light that fills your eyes  
Won't believe for comprimise,  
Can't know for sure until you try.  
You both think a different thing, one to like and one to love,  
But about the third, might they think of?  
And soft conflict is your fortress,  
The scarlet tension flowing 'round  
Is your place of trembling peace,  
The shadows of their hand; your crown.  
For here in three and second ways,  
Whatever fate may bring,  
Here, you are equal to a king.

A gentle cry in dreams at night  
Brings forth desire you can't fight.  
Allured to bring back ties once strong  
You forge a bond not broken long.  
Reconcilliation seems a bitter loss to gain  
That which brings damnation to your everlasting flame.  
Can't do a thing but watch as the end is brought to bear,  
Can't help but turn away and grieve the burden you'll now wear.  
And none can whisper comfort nor can take confines away,  
Nor undermine revenge sublime, the new game that you'll play.  
There's a bitterness within you now.  
But soldier, soldier, you won't bow.  
Instead you'll scale in silence walls of stone and anguish both.  
There's a plea to bring you back, but you can't hear for you're a ghost.

And the shadows turn to scarlet  
In the rage and quest that so consumes.  
The emerald green will harden, flash and scorn,  
As vengence cold, hereafter is your doom adorn.  
You play a frightening game, you know,  
Between what's twisted, brash, and substance flows,  
Yourself and not, who will and won't follow.  
The scarlet mist that shades your eyes  
Ebbs and strays, intensifies, at the sight, solidifies.  
Before you're done, someone has to die.  
It should be over, out of your hands.  
But it's never quite so easy, and you find your reprimand.  
And the fear becomes your fortress,  
The scarlet light that finds you even now  
Is your refuge from melancholy drafts.  
The shadows at the edge; your crown.  
For here, when everything depends on you,  
Whatever fate may bring,  
Here, you are equal to a king.

Cornered and afraid you return to your true path,  
Facing rather dismal the prospects that you have.  
Revive a foe and find a friend  
To lie and tell you that which makes you the means which then achieve his end.  
Cower in submission, your place in the background now,  
But triumph as you overcome,  
Your honest faith back gathered 'round.  
So you fly to meet the mission, though still feeling numb and dull,  
Revive the thief who's worse than yours,  
And shelter storms before the lull.  
It's not over yet, you know for sure,  
But won't join the dark to suit your thirst.  
You realize now there is one cure,  
And before it all gets better it will truly get much worse.

And the shadows turn to scarlet  
In the hazy sunset burning tension, hate.  
The emerald green will slow to worried tones  
While fear replaced with mistrust first endures and then ebates.  
You play offended games, you know,  
Between your own and them and search thorough  
Try to find what's left behind and hide from those who grew too close.  
The scarlet stain before your eyes  
Insults, offends, as you rely on what you never realized  
Was true or false or lost and locked too far inside.  
You thought they knew you, in their band,  
But now you're lost and fear their hand.  
And now you find your fortress,  
The scarlet light of lonliness abounds,  
Becomes your castle just out of their reach.  
The shadows of false crimes, your crown.  
For here and cowering in the dark,  
What ever fate may bring,  
Here you are equal to your king.

Hardly better once you know,  
And not consolled for broken bow,  
Still better than rejection faced for hours by yourself  
And worse than knowing only how your friend hates you as well.  
So dead before your eyes, lost to memory and then  
You curse his name and swear to never think of him again.  
But not all vows are held so sacred,  
Nor bitter chantings kept.  
Nor are seeds of doubt sewn and blessed,  
Somehow cultivated as you slept.  
Does that make it your fault,  
Not holding tightly to your loss?  
Is that why it's gone forever,  
Because you can't recover faded gloss?  
Another takes their place and you feel a secret glee,  
Decayed by the thought of they who cannot see.  
So honey leaves a bitter taste, but one that you ignore.  
It's worth it, is it not, for this whisper you adore?  
And the shadows turn to scarlet  
In the treason passing from your reach.  
The emerald green will hide the hurt inside  
But the darker pools descry your mind and then your thoughts beseech.  
You play betrayals' game, you know,  
Between all the good, the bad, and scorn and rows,  
The pride that stalks and hides below.  
You can't hide from it, it knows...it knows...  
The scarlet fire in your eyes  
Calms and steadies, tears are dry.  
It's not worth it in the end, it never helps to cry.  
You're nursing wounds that you can't find,  
It hurts too much, but you don't mind.  
And the journey is your fortress,  
The scarlet light you're pushing down  
Is your quiet realm of newer peace,  
The shadows of old dreams; your crown.  
For here where emotion has a name,  
Whatever fate may bring,  
Here, you are equal to a king.

Time goes by and never stops,  
Though begging seems to make it flee.  
It seems a year, feels a moment,  
Passes by, and sets you free.  
Who returns here for the end,  
Comes back to fight and then again?  
What can this be? You don't believe your eyes;  
It's the one convinced, believed has died.  
But that's just you telling yourself,  
Dead to you, but you know that was a lie.  
And at the end by circumstance,  
The blowing wind will steal your chance.  
There's not much time, it's nigh too late.  
But you won't speak your mind  
For you must wait.

And the shadows turn to scarlet  
In the pretence of fighting for belief.  
The emerald green will light to brighter shades  
And spin your thoughts while impatience threatens all you see.  
You play for more than life, you know,  
It's different now than what you'll never, ever show.  
It's what will bring back or take your breath, knock you off your feet.  
The scarlet dreamscape bids you come  
While darker reapers bid you, run.  
But you know inside, the end has come.  
There's something you're not saying now,  
But before you're done it must become a shout.  
And the battle will be your fortress,  
The scarlet rush that's blinding all around  
Is your secret place of freedoms' fields,  
The shadows of forthcoming doom will suffice to be your crown.  
For here in the dark, where secrets kept  
Come forth in goodbye or offering,  
Here, you are equal to a king.

You've always had a feeling that  
You aren't alone in all that you might think.  
Departing from the wisdom shared, it's hidden well beneath.  
But confirmed for now, about to die,  
It's brought forth from the brink.  
You have no soul, nor worth or fame,  
Still different from the rest.  
As birds will fly two thousand miles  
To be with the one they blessed,  
Then so it seems that thoughts replaid  
Flicker through the flames like so,  
And foolish, unadmitted truths,  
Give less time for you to know.  
But perhaps you've thought the same thing twice,  
Or glimpsed within anothers' eyes.  
Fight for what you know to be  
Worth the struggle found there and then  
Carry on with all your strength,  
Don't look back at where you've been.  
You'll always be who you've not known,  
Not been allowed to let be shown.  
And so agreed on all these things,  
Wake on one more day, let freedom ring.

And the shadows turn to scarlet  
In admitance glowing here to show.  
The emerald green will flair to brighter still  
And refuse to hide but rather simply grow.  
You're playing more than games, you know,  
Between the wood and sun and sand like snow,  
There's not enough but just enough, so don't go,  
Don't go, don't go...  
The scarlet light was here before today,  
And the mission's only comprimised, only delayed.  
There's still a battle left to rage, still a life to save.  
The moment arrived, not ready yet,  
You give it thought and can't forget.  
And the sun becomes your fortress  
The scarlet embers shining on the ground  
Are your pathway into heavens' halls,  
The shadows of the cloak, your crown.  
For here in the land that calls to you,  
Whatever fate may bring,  
Here, you are equal to your king.

And this land becomes your fortress,  
The scarlet traces gathering around  
Are your new gain and loss and triumph, now,  
The shadows of the mark, your crown.  
Beside you stands the queen,  
All about you is the castle you'll build.  
But still you'll never quite let go,  
The fact remains and that you know.  
Here, where you'll stand in the light that grips your hand,  
Whatever fate may bring,  
Here, you'll be equal to your king.


End file.
